Hank the Dog

Hank the Dog was an unofficial mascot of the Milwaukee Brewers. He was a mixed-race bichon frisé, although the circumstances of his birth remain murky.

Hank walked into fame and fortune when the adorable young puppy strayed into the Brewers' spring training complex in Phoenix, AZ in February of 2014 looking for a place to sleep. He was found by a security guard, and his fur was so stained at the time that a veterinarian speculated that he may have been run over by a car. His exact age was never known, but he could have been 2 or 3 years old at the time. He was adopted by players and team officials after efforts to find his rightful owner came up empty, and he was given the name "Hank", in honor of all-time great Hank Aaron. The Brewers then took him with them to Milwaukee, WI when the season started and built him a custom doghouse located in Miller Park. Various costumes were designed for him to wear on special occasions, and he became a fan favorite, appearing at home games and at various functions around town. The Brewers also used his story to sensitize fans about the fate of stray pets and to raise over $130,000 for the local Humane Society, through a percentage of the sale on Hank-themed merchandise.

To crown everything, Hank was voted "Dog of the Year" at the annual World Dog Awards held in Hollywood, CA on January 11, 2015, winning the "Golden Hydrant Award".

At first the Brewers did not intend to take Hank to spring training in 2015, now that he was comfortably installed in Milwaukee, but they changed their minds and had him pay a visit to his old haunts at Maryvale Baseball Park on March 28th in order to take part in a fundraiser for the Arizona Humane Society. There were at least two bobbleheads in his likeness given away to Brewers fans over the years, and he got to meet his namesake, Hank Aaron, in person.

In 2016, nasty rumors began to circulate on the internet to the effect that Hank had been replaced by an imposter, with conspiracy theorists pointing out that the current mascot seemed a lot bigger and fluffier than the original. The Brewers went to the length of holding a press conference on March 4th to deny the rumors, explaining that it was normal for a now well-fed and fully grown Hank to look somewhat different from the scrawny puppy who had wandered into spring training two years earlier. It was estimated at the time that Hank had helped raise over $300,000 for charity, through his personal appearances and the sale of merchandise, and this continued over the years. His profile declined somewhat over the following seasons, but he remained a beloved team ambassador. He lived primarily with the family of the team's Chief Operations Officer, Marti Wronski.

In 2024, the Brewers announced that Hank had passed away on September 12th.

Further Reading

• Ted Berg: "Brewers deny conspiracies, confirm the current Hank is the only Hank", "For the Win!", USA Today Sports, March 4, 2016. [1]
• Michael Clair: "Congrats to Hank the Ballpark Pup, your 2014 Dog of the Year award winner", Cut4, mlb.com, January 15, 2015. [2]
• Michael Clair: "One year and a Dog of the Year Award later, Hank returns to Brewers Spring Training", Cut4, mlb.com, March 28, 2015. [3]
• Adam McCalvy: "Remembering Hank the Dog, the Crew's beloved ballpark pup", mlb.com, September 12, 2024. [4]